Royal Caribbean has canceled excursions from Labadee, its private island in Haiti, but is keeping the island open.
“Out of respect to our local communities surrounding Labadee, Haiti, and to ensure our guest and crew safety, we’re temporarily adjusting our tour offerings,” RCCL told passengers.
Passengers on social media reported cancellation of jet skiing, kayaking and walking tours, as they were asked to remain within the resort at all times.
The cancellations follows days of violence in the country, where armed gangs roam the streets and Americans are being evacuated. The Department of State in July issued a Level 4 travel advisory (“do not travel,” the highest warning level) citing “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure,” and this morning sent in a Marine anti-terrorism unit to guard the US embassy in Port-au-Prince.
Travel advisors, meanwhile, are reporting minimal concern among clients, though some are not getting off the ship in Labadee and some are calling to express concerns about the Dominican Republic. The DR shares the island on which Haiti is located but has closed its border.
Many also mourn for the people of the island.
“I have a real heart for Haiti; I have helped missionaries and aid workers with flights in the past, and I have seen how they are helping the orphanages and people there,” said travel advisor Margie Lenau of Wonderland Family Vacations LLC in Grand Rapids, MI, who rued the earthquakes and hurricanes and political violence that have upended the island’s stability. “The question we get most often is whether it’s okay to travel to the Dominican Republic. I tell my customers that Haiti and the Dominican are two very different countries, and there is a mountain range and some distance between them. So far Dominican has kept away from the violence.
”The world can be a dangerous place. With the cruise lines and with travel advisors, safety is always number one. It’s nice to know that cruise lines and tour operators are keeping track to keep travelers safe.”
Labadee, RCCL’s first private island, is 130 miles from Port-au-Prince. Independence of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas are scheduled to stop there in coming weeks.
*Editor Update 03/14/24*
As of now, RCCL has cancelled all stops to Labadee due to the current unrest in Haiti.
Michael Bayley, RCCL CEO, stated on Facebook “We have suspended calls into Labadee, Haiti for the next 7 days and will continue suspension on a rolling basis with 3 days advance notification to our guests sailing on itineraries impacted and changed as we monitor and evaluate the situation in Haiti.”
